Thomas S. Harty

Thomas S. Harty is a member of the Commercial Litigation Group and focuses his practice on complex litigation across a number of disciplines. Thomas has 35 years of trial experience and has appeared in 20 different state and federal courts across 16 states. Over the course of the past 20 years, Thomas has served as lead trial counsel in cases that went to verdict and had collectively more than $5,000,000,000 at stake.

Thomas has a wide range of high-profile trial experience in contract claims, anti-competitive and unfair trade practices matters, including matters involving the Federal Trade Commission Act, business and securities fraud claims, shareholder litigation, complex estate and guardianship litigation, and business-related terminations.
 
Thomas also advises businesses, investment funds, fiduciaries, and closely held companies regarding complex commercial transactions, risk management, and dispute avoidance strategies. His experience as both litigation counsel and trusted business advisor enables him to provide clients with practical solutions designed to avoid costly disputes whenever possible.

His experience includes serving as counsel to:

• A national transportation agency and its principal in defeating claims for damages totaling in excess of $25,000,000 for breach of contract, fraud, and conversion.
• A retail operator of travel centers on a national basis in defeating claims for damages exceeding $1,000,000 for anti-competitive activities alleged by a competitor.
• A private equity and investment fund in recovering $3,000,000 for breach of contract.
• A hotel operator asserting environmental claims in recovering $7,000,000 in damages caused by a water source contaminated with legionella.
• A plaintiff in recovering $1,150,000 on grounds of undue influence, incompetence, and fraud in connection with the preparation of a family member’s will.
• A regional lender in recovering in excess of $6,000,000 in connection with a commercial loan fraud.
• The United States Trustee in obtaining $2,200,000 on a claim for negligent misrepresentation and fraud.
• Lead trial counsel to a developer and sponsor of exchange traded funds listed on NASDAQ in recovering approximately $34,000,000 in damages against an investment manager for breach of contract.
• Served as lead trial counsel to a trustee in a multi-jurisdictional guardianship, undue influence, and fraud matter which, following a 40-day trial, resulted in a $30,000,000 verdict, removal of the guardian, and invalidation of the ward’s will.
• Served as co-lead trial counsel in recovering $175,000,000 in a complex divorce matter involving public and private assets.
• Represented a municipal bond fund in recovering in excess of $25,000,000 arising from a dispute involving an inter-creditor agreement.
• Represented a minority shareholder in recovering $17,000,000 in a shareholder oppression and business valuation dispute.
• Represented a minority shareholder in recovering $8,500,000 in a shareholder oppression matter involving a closely held business.
• Successfully defended a securities fraud action involving claimed damages in excess of $43,000,000.
• Represented the Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner as lead trial counsel in one of the largest insurance liquidation proceedings ever instituted, involving approximately $1.8 billion in underinsured claims.
• Represented victims of the Stanford International Bank Ponzi scheme in defeating clawback claims exceeding $12,000,000.

 

Thomas is a member of the American, Philadelphia, and New Jersey State Bar Associations, as well as the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
 
Thomas received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from St. Francis University. He earned his law degree and master of laws degree, with honors, from Villanova University School of Law.